Artificial slide and lake and conveyer therefor



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O. A. IDLER. .ARTIEIGIAL SLIDE AND LAKE AND GONVEYER THEREFOR.

No. 572,426. Patented D60. 1, 1896.

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C. A. IDLER.

ARTIPI GIAL SLIDE AND LAKE AND GO NVB YER THEREFOR.

No. 5'7-2,426. Patented Dec. 1, 1896.

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, UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES A. IDLER, or ATLANTIo (MY, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR OF ONE- HALF To JOHN QUINCY ADAMS, or AToo, NEW JERSEY.

ARTIFICIAL SLIDE AND LAKE AND CONVEYER THEREFOR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 572,426, dated December 1, 1896.

Application filed March 11, 1896. Serial No. 582,697. (No model.)

T 00% whom it may concern.-

Be it known that 1, CHARLES A. IDLER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Atlantic City, in the county of Atlantic and State of New Jersey, have invented certain traverse, after it leaves the course, an artificial basin or lake, and in such connection it relates particularly to the general construction and arrangement of the course or courses and of the basin or lake connected therewith.

The principal objects of my invention are, first, to provide a comparatively simple, exhilarating, and healthful pleasure-course for summer and other resorts, combining therein the pleasure of a toboggan-slide and boatride and employing gravity in the descent of a car, boat, or similar conveyor upon and over an artificial body of water, the conveyer sliding with an initial skipping action upon the surface of the water second, to provide in such a pleasure-course an incline or chute more or less undulating in portions of its length and terminating in a horizontal way extending parallel with and upon the surface of an artificial lake at its margin; third, to provide in such a pleasure-course, in conjunction with a chute or slide, an artificial basinv formed directly in the river or other tide-water course by inclosing a portion of the tide-water with a retaining-wall extending from the bed upward to a height approximately equal to the height of high tide in the water-course, so that by the rise of the tide the basin will be overflowed and the water therein periodically changed to purify the same, and, fourth, to provide in such a pleasure-course an artificial basin formed by inclosing a portion of a river or other tide-water course and filling in the sloping bed of the river thus inclosed so that the water in the basin will be of uniform depth and inclosing the basin thus formed with a walk or promenade upon which the spectators may gather to watch the sport.

My invention, stated in general terms, consists of a pleasure-lake and slide-course and conveyers therefor, constructed and arranged in substantially the manner hereinafter described and claimed.

The nature and scope of my invention will be more fully understood from the following description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, forming part hereof, and in which Figure 1 is a side elevation of a pleasurecourse, illustrating a chute or slide and an artificial basin or lake embodying the main features of my invention. Fig. 2 is a top or plan view thereof. Fig. 3 is a side elevation of a portion of the chute, illustrating the returncourse upon which the conveyers are adapted to be elevated. Fig. 4 is a side elevational View, enlarged, of one of the cars, boats, or similar conveyers to be used in connection with the chute or slide and the artificial basin or lake. Fig. 5 is a longitudinal sectional View, enlarged, of the artificial basin or lake with elevated walk or promenade; and Fig. 6 is a top or plan view thereof.

Referring to the drawings, A represents suitable trestle-work, upon which are supported the outgoing undulating chute a and the incoming inclined chute a, upon which the car or conveyor Bis elevated by a cable (not shown) or by any suitable means after it has descended the undulating chute a. The chute a terminates, as at o in a substantially hori-' zontal extension, by means of which the con veyer, after traveling over the undulating course of the chute, is shot out with increased momentum by theextension a in a direction or other tide-water course.

ing the chute Ct the conveyor will be propelled with an initial skipping action, the conveyer rising above and falling upon the surface of the water before it finally traverses the surface.

The artificial basin or lake D of my present invention is formed directly in a river, sea, To accomplish this, there is placed upon the bed of the river, sea, or tide-water course a flooring d, extending from the end of the chute at high-water mark to a point cl, reached or nearly reached by the water at low tide, as illustrated in Figs. 1 and 5. At this point d a retaining-wall d is built up from the flooring (Z to a height corresponding to or slightly less than the height of the water at high tide. This retaining-wall d is connected by the side walls 01 terminating on the shore or beach underneath the end of the chute. The inclined floor of the structure thus formed is filled in, preferably with sand e, to form a substantially horizontal floor, which is approximately three feet lower than the top of the side and retaining walls.

From this description it will be understood that at high tide the water of the river, sea, or other tide-water course will overflow the side and retaining walls and fill the basin thus formed to a depth of approximately three feet to form the basin for the chute, and that at each succeeding high tide the water in the basin will be replenished and renewed without the labor of pumping water continually into the basin. Around the side walls 61 and the end retaining wall (1 there is built a promenade or walk f, supported upon suitable piling f, driven into the bed of the river or sea. This promenade f serves as a place whereon spectators may gather to witness the descent of the conveyers into the artificial lake or basin D.

Having thus described the nature and objects of my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a pleasure-course of the character described, in combination with an incline or corresponding to the high-water mark,wherev by when the tide rises the basin will be overflowed to thereby replenish and renew the water therein, substantially as and for the purposes described.

2. In a pleasure-course of the character described, in combination with an incline or chute, an artificial basin or lake consisting of flooring arranged on the bed of a tide-water course from a point of high tide to a point of low tide, side walls projecting upward from said flooring, and an end Wall connecting said side walls at low-water mark and of a height corresponding to that of the Water at high tide, whereby when the tide rises the basin will be overfiowed to replenish and renew the water therein, substantially as and for the purposes described.

3. In a pleasure-course of the character described, in combination with an incline or chute, an artificial basin or lake consisting of a flooring arranged on an inclined bed of a river or similar tide-water course from a high to low water mark, side walls projecting upward from said flooring, an end retainingwall connecting said side walls at low-water mark and of a height corresponding to that of the water at high tide, an artificial bed for said basin provided by filling the inclosed flooring to form an unvarying depth of water from end to end of the basin, and a promenade supported above the bed of the watercourse and surrounding the side and end walls of said basin, substantially as and for the purposes described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my signature in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

CHARLES A. IDLER. lVitnesses:

'THoMAs M. SMITH, RICHARD O. MAXWELL. 

